Something to talk about
by KSD17
Summary: AU Wade and Zoe have been roommates and best friends since college.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: I'm back! Couldn't even stay away for 12 hours. I'm practically done with this story already so updates will be quick and based on reviews so the more reviews, the faster I update. No pressure. This is the prologue and the chapters will be longer after this one. Let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!**

Zoe unlocked her apartment and walked in, slinging her bag onto the table in the hallway. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. When she walked in, a tall blonde was standing at the fridge completely naked. Zoe rolled her eyes and went to the pantry, pulling out a bag of marshmallows.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl gasped when she turned around and saw Zoe at the cupboard.

"Zoe," she responded nonchalantly and turned to walk to the lounge.

"Ready for round two?" a man said walking into the kitchen. "Oh, hey Zo. Didn' think you'd be back so early."

"Cover up!" Zoe said, rolling her eyes again and tossing a dish towel at the naked guy.

"Sorry, wasn' expectin' someone in the kitchen," he apologised covering himself.

"Wade, who is this?" the girl asked.

"My roommate," Wade shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a girl roommate?"

"Didn' think I had to tell you my whole life story before you came home with me from the bar." Zoe shook her head and backed out of the room, leaving them to argue.

"You're a pig!" the girl yelled. A few minutes later Zoe heard the front door slam. Wade sat down next to her and shoved his hand into the bag of marshmallows. Zoe looked at him to see he was now wearing boxers.

"You know you should really start telling these girls about me. This is the 5th one this month that's stormed out when they saw me. They probably think it's some ploy to get them to have a threesome." Zoe said leaning her head back on the couch.

"Well hey, you know I wouldn' be opposed to you joinin'," Wade said sticking his tongue out.

"Jerk!" Zoe said with a laugh, shoving him.

"You make my life a whole lot easier Zoe Hart."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"You arrivin' when you do jus' makes it easier to get them to leave. Don' have to do the whole 'I'll call you' lie in the mornin'"

"You are such a pig!" Wade laughed and threw his arm across the back of the couch.

"So you had a bad day?" he asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Marshmallows," he stated simply.

"I got thrown up on." Wade scrunched up his nose. "Was with a patient and everything was going fine, she sat up so I could listen to her chest and she just puked all over me! It was in my hair and everything."

"Was wonderin' what that smell was," he teased.

"Shut up! I showered! You're probably smelling the low self esteem and daddy issues of your latest one night stand."

"You know your words, they cut me!" Wade said, clutching his chest dramatically.

"I will never understand how I ended up living with such an infant," Zoe complained.

"You were lucky enough to have me as your next door neighbour in college! Best day of your life the day you met me!"

"Your definition of best and my definition of worst seem awfully similar," Zoe joked.

"Oh shush! Wanna watch Netflix?"

"You read my mind. What episode are we on now?"

"Season 4 episode 3 I think," Wade said as he started Breaking Bad. Zoe put her head on his shoulder and Wade moved his arm from the couch to wrap it around her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Thanks for all the love! This chapter is longer, as the rest will be. I'm done with this story so just a reminder, the more reviews, the faster it goes up. Enjoy!**

**Also, this story is rated T so there's "mature" conversations and what have you in the chapters. Have a great day :)**

Wade was running around the apartment like a chicken without a head, throwing everything he could find into a box. He grabbed the iPad out of Zoe's hand and put it in the box as he ran past.

"Wade! I was using that!" Zoe whined.

"Everythin' has to be neat," he yelled from the kitchen.

"It will be but you don't have to pack away everything. There still needs to be evidence that people live here." Wade walked into the room and glared at her.

"My mom only comes once a year. It has to be perfect. Oh crap, the condoms!" Wade ran out of the room and returned a few seconds later with a large box of condoms.

"What are you doing with those?" Zoe asked, laughing. "You are turning 30 in 2 days, I am pretty sure she knows you have sex. And also your parents aren't even staying here so it's not like she's going to go through your drawers!"

"She'll know! She can smell them from a mile away. How'd you think I got grounded for a month in high school?"

"Oh stop! You're lucky you're sexy cause you're really dumb sometimes," Zoe said getting up and taking the box from him. She walked to her room as Wade followed her. She put them in her closet and shut the door. "You are crazy!" she laughed, pushing him out of the room and they went back to the lounge.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. Zoe and Wade got off the couch and walked to the door. Jackie and Earl, Wade's parents, were standing at the door with smiles on their faces.

"My baby boy!" Jackie exclaimed, embracing Wade giving him a wet kiss on the cheek.

"Mom!" Wade whined, wiping his face. "Dad, it's good to see you." Earl and Wade hugged.

"Zoe, sweetheart!" Jackie said as she hugged Zoe. Earl hugged her as well and they went inside into the kitchen and sat on the stools around the island. Zoe got snacks and drinks for everyone while they chatted and laid them out on the table. Wade stood up when she finished and let her sit on his stool. He grabbed his drink and flung his arm around her shoulder, leaning into her. Zoe smiled up at him and turned back to Jackie.

"Wade was telling me last week that you almost need to decide on fellowship applications. Will you try stay in Nashville?" Jackie asked Zoe.

"Yeah, I think so. I'll apply to other places but I really love it here but who knows what's gonna happen. I still have like 6 months to decide and the decision is only made late next year."

"What about you Son? You love it here as much?" Earl asked.

"I really do. Bluebell will always be home though."

"Does that mean you might come back?" Jackie asked, perking up.

"Uh... Maybe. But I can't see myself ever livin' that far from Zoe so unless she wants a fellowship in Mobile, it probably won't happen." Zoe scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

"You know I love Bluebell, Planksgiving is my favourite holiday but I won't apply in Mobile. Sorry Jackie."

"It's ok sweetie. Just don't move all the way back to New York or something and drag my baby with you!"

"I won't," Zoe laughed. "Wade's job kind of limits him to certain places but I can be a surgeon anywhere. I guess if I ever had to move, I'd consider his job opportunities first."

"You say that now but in a few years, you'll be married to some hot shot surgeon and be jettin' off to some fancy city and you'll forget all about me!" Wade teased.

"Never gonna happen. He's going to have to accept that you're part of the package. I need my best friend time." Wade smiled and squeezed her tightly for a second.

"Speaking of," Jackie said, "how's the love life Zoe?"

"Nonexistent! I'm just really busy at the hospital I guess."

"You haven't dated anyone since Zach and that was almost 4 years ago."

"I know but the timing just isn't ideal. Besides, my friendship with Wade is pretty intimidating to people it seems. Guys get scared off pretty easily."

"You live with him so I can see why that would scare them off."

"Well that's just cause I can't afford this place alone," Zoe joked, sticking her tongue out at Wade.

"Hey! Is cheap rent all I'm good for?" Wade whined, elbowing her lightly. Zoe laughed and shoved him.

"It doesn' bug you that they run away?" Earl enquired, ignoring their banter.

"Not really. Wade will always be around so if they can't handle it then it's their loss."

"I swear the two of you are going to end up living in a giant mansion with your spouses and your kids just so you can be near each other," Earl said, shaking his head.

"Nonsense Earl. The real question is when are you two going to start dating?" Jackie asked.

"And there it is," Wade said rolling his eyes.

"Every time!" Zoe remarked.

"At least you don' get it every week! Every phone call is 'How's Zoe? Are you dating yet?'" Wade said looking down at Zoe.

"I speak to your mother just as much as you do and I also get it every time so don't complain Mister!" Zoe said poking his side.

"For the millionth time Momma, we are just friends!"

"Ok, whatever you say," Jackie said shaking her head slightly. Zoe and Wade looked at each other while Earl and Jackie exchanged knowing glances.

XXX

"You want popcorn?" Wade called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, with butter!" Zoe yelled from the couch.

"We are goin' for a run tomorrow mornin' then!"

"It's your birthday tomorrow so no we won't! Besides George and Lavon arrive tomorrow and then it's your party. No time for exercise."

"You just say that cause you hate runnin'," Wade said with a laugh as he sat down next to her on the couch with the popcorn. He took of the flannel shirt he was wearing over his wife beater and flung it over the back of the couch.

"No, I hate running with YOU because you make me get up at 5h30 and we run for miles and you make me do all those extra stuff like sit ups."

"So really what you're sayin' is I am responsible for your hot body. You're welcome," Wade said smugly, poking her stomach. Zoe laughed and squirmed as he purposefully poked her ticklish spot.

"Yeah yeah, just put on the next episode," Zoe said, resting her head on his lap.

Half way through the episode, Zoe shivered from the cold.

"Sit up," Wade demanded. Zoe sat up and looked at him. He pulled the flannel from the couch and put it over her shoulders. She put her arms through the sleeves and Wade rubbed her arms to warm her up. "Better?" he asked. Zoe nodded and smiled before lying back down.

XXX

"Big Z!" Lavon bellowed as he walked into the bar which was closed for Wade's party.

"Hey Lavon!" she said walking up to him. He picked her up when he hugged her.

"This is my girlfriend Didi. This is Zoe, Wade's roommate." Didi hugged Zoe who reciprocated awkwardly.

"Did you grow up in Bluebell too?" she asked.

"No, Wade was my neighbour in college and we hit it off instantly," Zoe explained. Didi nodded and Zoe turned to greet George.

"So why do you know her so well?" Didi asked Lavon once Zoe left.

"She comes to Bluebell with Wade often, Planksgiving, the occasional Christmas, family events."

"Oh, they're dating?"

"Nope, just friends," Lavon clarified, shaking his head.

The party was in full swing and Wade was mingling with all the guests while Zoe was making sure the snacks were being distributed by the waiters and that the punch bowl was full. Once that was done, Zoe made her way over to George, Lavon and Didi.

"I heard you were going up to New York for a job?" Zoe asked George.

"Yeah, I leave next month. I'm really excited but I don't know what to expect."

"Oh don't stress! New York is great! You have to go to Per Se when you're there. Their sweet corn risotto is to die for. I haven't been in years but I still have dreams about their food."

"Are you from New York?" Didi asked.

"Yeah, I moved here for med school after doing premed there but I barely ever go anymore."

"What about holidays?"

"I'm usually working or with Wade in Bluebell or somewhere. We try travel when our schedules match up. But my mom does come down to visit every so often."

"I heard my name! Talkin' bout how great I am?" Wade said joining the conversation. He stood behind Zoe and started rubbing her shoulders.

"Ha! You wish!"

"Oh so then it's how cute I am?"

"We all know how cute you are, no need to discuss it." Zoe said, waving her arm behind her to smack him. He dodged her easily and laughed resuming his position to carry on rubbing her shoulders. Didi furrowed her eyebrows watching them interact but one look at Lavon's lack of surprise at their closeness told her it was a regular occurrence.

"Have you seen Zoe anywhere?" Wade asked a while later, walking up to them.

"No, not recently. Why?" Lavon said.

"Jus' haven' seen her in a while and was wonderin' where she might be. Gonna go find her." Wade wandered off and saw Zoe standing talking to Earl. He went over to them, putting his arm over her shoulder when he reached them. She immediately wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I thought you said they aren't a couple?" Didi asked, looking up at Lavon.

"They aren't. They're just really close," Lavon assured her.

"It's not normal how close they are."

"Maybe not for other people but for them it is. They've been this way since I met her."

"Always touching like that?"

"Well the touching has gotten more over time, especially recently, but they've always spent the majority of their free time together."

"They act like a couple."

"No they don't!"

"Lavon, look how they are standing." Lavon looked over at them.

"Yeah, and?" he asked turning back to her.

"And we are standing the exact same way and we ARE a couple."

"Trust me, they are just friends. Wade sleeps with girls like it's nobody's business and Zoe has never shown an ounce of jealousy."

"For now maybe but one day something is gonna change. It happened with my cousin and now she has a mad baby daddy cause she left him for her best friend." Lavon laughed and shook his head, turning to watch Zoe and Wade still standing with their arms around each other.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews, remember keep reviewing! Also, disclaimer or what not, I don't own the characters bla bla but the story is mine. Also remember the rating :) Hope you enjoy this one!**

"So when am I gonna meet this guy?" Wade asked, lying on Zoe's bed.

"Uh... how bout never?" Zoe said coming out of the bathroom and walking towards the bed. "Zip." Wade sat up and zipped her dress up.

"Why not?" he whined, lying back down.

"Because every guy you meet you scare off by being all overprotective and weird." Zoe put on her shoes and stood in front of the bed. "What you think?" Wade looked her up and down and shook his head.

"No. Go change. It looks like you're tryna get laid."

"I AM trying to get laid. It's our third date. And I like this guy."

"You're giving' it up on the third date already? Really?"

"Says you who gives it up within the first hour of meeting a girl, if that."

"That's different," Wade defended.

"How so?"

"I am not tryna date them." Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Do I look fine or not?"

"Yes, you look hot. Now go and get your freak on. I expect a full report back tomorrow."

"Oh ew Wade!"

"What? You did the last time you had sex!"

"Well I was a lot younger then." Wade laughed.

"It has been a while since you got some. How long has it been? 2 years?" Zoe glared at him.

"It hasn't been that long!" Wade raised his eyebrows at her. "Fine, 22 months." Wade shook his head.

"Does this poor guy know how much pressure is on him to perform tonight?"

"See, this is why I will never let you meet him!" Wade laughed as she walked out of the room. "You better not sleep in my bed again tonight!" she called as she left.

"Yours is so much more comfortable than mine!" he called back.

"Well we might come back here later so be warned."

"Gross! My bed it is."

The next morning Wade was sitting at the kitchen counter eating breakfast when Zoe entered the kitchen with her date.

"Ah if it isn't the famous Matt," Wade said when he saw them.

"You must be Wade?" he asked.

"The one and only. I'm gonna go shower. Don' have sex on the counter please, I cleaned it this mornin'," Wade said getting up and putting his plate in the sink. Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Ignore him, I usually do," she said laughing.

"So does he usually walk around shirtless?" Matt asked.

"Pretty much," Zoe shrugged.

"Uh ok..."

"Please don't get weird about this. He's my best friend and only my best friend. We're really close so if this is gonna bug you, I need to know now cause it's not going to change."

"Doesn't bug me at all," Matt smiled at her. He kissed her lightly. "I better get to work. I'll call you later." Zoe nodded and they kissed again before he left the apartment.

Zoe went into Wade's room and sat on his bed.

"I'm in your room so don't come out naked!" she shouted when she heard the water turn off from the shower. A few minutes later, Wade came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and another around his neck. He slipped on a pair of boxers under his towel and then a pair of jeans. He sat down on the bed when he was done.

"So how was it?" he asked.

"It was ok..." Zoe said unconvincingly.

"That bad huh?"

"It wasn't bad it was just... he kept trying to touch my feet."

"Oh that's not good. You kick him?"

"Not this time," Zoe laughed. "And he didn't do that other thing that I like when he was kissing my neck."

"Oh where he sucks on your ear lobe before moving to that spot under your ear?"

"Yeah."

"Well it takes time for someone to get to know what you like and don' like. You can't expect it to be perfect right from the start. He'll learn that you don' like people touching your feet. Give it time."

"I guess. You think it's weird we know each other so well that you know what I like in bed?"

"Probably but we make it work," Wade shrugged and Zoe nodded. "So did you fake it?" Wade smirked. Zoe smacked his chest and laughed.

"Shut up!" she said as she got up and walked out the room.

XXX

Zoe and Matt were setting up dinner when her pager went off. She looked at it and stood up.

"I gotta go to the hospital," she said, looking at Matt. He threw down his napkin, standing and pushing the table back.

"Again? Seriously?"

"It's my job Matt."

"It's your night off. I haven't seen you in a week. Get someone else to do it."

"It is literally a matter of life or death. I don't have time for this right now." Zoe went into her bedroom and returned a few minutes later wearing her scrubs. "I'll call you in the morning," she said, leaning up to kiss him. He stepped away before her lips touched his.

"Don't bother. I'm done."

"What?"

"We've been dating for a month and this is only the 6th time I've seen you. You're always at the damn hospital."

"Well I'm sorry but you knew this going in. When I had to cancel our first date, you were fine with it!"

"Turns out I'm not anymore." Matt turned and left the kitchen and Zoe jumped when she heard the door slam.

Wade walked into the apartment from work to find Zoe sitting on the couch crying. He sat down and pulled her into his arms.

"What happened?" he asked as she nuzzled into his chest.

"I got dumped," she sniffed.

"I'm gonna kill him! What did he say?"

"Couldn't deal with me always working."

"Jackass. Seriously, where does he work? Cause I'm gonna find him and kill him."

"No, it's fine. Whatever. I'm just meant to be alone."

"Ok, no need to get dramatic. You'll find someone who deals with your crazy work schedule and accepts the fact that your roommate is a god and doesn' try touch your feet every chance he gets." Zoe laughed and wiped her nose on his shirt. "Really? Was that necessary?" Zoe laughed again and nodded.

XXX

Wade walked out of his room wearing his Titans shirt and Zoe shook her head.

"Lavon is gonna kill you" she giggled. Wade shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the arm of the couch. "What time are they getting here?"

"He called about an hour ago and said they were checkin' into the hotel so probably soon. What you and Didi gonna do while we're at the game?"

"Probably head to Broadway, find a bar where we can have a quiet drink."

"Yeah, good luck with that." The doorbell rang and Wade went to let Lavon and Didi in.

"What the hell is with the shirt man?" Lavon asked as he walked in wearing his Panthers shirt, glaring at Wade's choice of team. Wade laughed but ignored him and greeted Didi. After a few minutes of small talk, Wade and Lavon left for the game.

"Call you when we're done," Wade said to Zoe. He kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

Zoe and Didi were sitting at the bar drinking their third shot when her phone rang. She fumbled to pull it out of her bag but managed to answer before it stopped ringing.

"Hello?" she shouted over the music.

"Where you at Baby Girl?" Wade said from the other end of the line.

"Tootsies. You gonna join us?"

"Yeah, we just got in the cab. Be there soon."

About 20 minutes later, Zoe saw Lavon and Wade walk into the bar.

"It's Wade! Wade's here!" Zoe exclaimed, jumping off the stool and throwing her arms around him.

"Hi, how drunk are you?" Wade asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Um, 3 tequilas worth. Didi is very bubbly. Alcohol helps."

"Nice," Wade laughed.

"Catch up!" Zoe demanded.

"Ok ok, you are demandin'! We had a few of beers at the game so I'm not far off from your level."

Wade ordered four shots from the bartender and downed two while Lavon had the other two. At 2h30, there were only a few people left in the bar and they were sitting around a table.

"You are honestly telling me you have never hooked up?" Didi asked.

"Never!"

"I don't believe you. Y'all are too close to never have been together."

"I swear!" Zoe said.

"Nothing?"

"Well we kissed once," Wade started.

"Twice," Zoe corrected.

"Three times actually," Wade finished. Zoe nodded and laughed.

"You never told me that!" Lavon said.

"It was a few weeks after we met."

"And then again a couple of months after that."

"And then once like 2 years ago."

"What? Why?" Lavon asked, clearly shocked.

"The first time was cause he's Wade so of course he was gonna try!" Zoe said.

"Yeah well you're hot so what'd you expect?" Wade quipped. Zoe shoved him lightly. "The second time was cause she wouldn' stop yellin' at me and it was the only way to shut her up."

"And the third was... well I don't know," Zoe finished lamely.

"Oh so you just kissed? You weren't like making out or anything?"

"Well..." Wade started and then looked away. Zoe blushed slightly. Lavon and Didi looked at each other before Lavon gave them a look.

"Don' look at us like that! There may have been alcohol involved but she was tryna explain some weird tongue thing a guy did to her once and she showed me and then we got carried away and ya know, who's gonna turn down a make out session."

"Y'all are so weird!" Lavon said shaking his head in disbelief.

"I just don't buy that you guys feel nothing for each other. You're all over each other all the time, you just randomly made out a few years ago, you tell each other everything, even the sex stuff. It's just not normal friend behaviour," Didi added.

"But we're not just friends, we're best friends," Zoe assured her.

"Best friends don't do that sweetie," Didi responded and Zoe rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying, you would probably be great together."

After having one more shot, they left the bar. Lavon and Didi walked back to their hotel and Wade and Zoe took a cab back to their apartment.

"Hmph," Zoe sighed when they walked into the apartment.

"And that?" Wade laughed. He swayed slightly on the spot.

"I'm sick of people saying we should be together!" Zoe moaned.

"Yeah, it's gettin' old," Wade agreed as he took of his shoes. Zoe threw her shoes across the room and walked into the kitchen pulling out a bag of marshmallows from the cupboard. She sat on a stool and Wade sat next to her, helping himself. "Funny thing is she's probably right."

"About what?"

"Us bein' great together. In bed I mean."

"Obviously. We know each other too well not to be. I mean I know that when a girl pulls your hair, it turns you on."

"And I know you like to have your ear lobe sucked." Zoe nodded and bit her lip, looking at him.

"You like having your neck kissed, just there," Zoe said, putting her hand on the spot she was referring to. He drew in a sharp breath.

"There's that spot behind your knee that makes..." Wade started. He jumped up suddenly from the stool. "I'm going to bed." Zoe stood up as well.

"Me too," she said awkwardly. He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded at her. They walked out of the kitchen to their rooms, which were opposite each other.

"Well," Wade said, "Night."

"Night," Zoe said with a smile. They stood there looking at each other and again Zoe bit her lip. Wade's eyes moved to her mouth and back up to meet her gaze. He took one step forward and captured her lips with his. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and taking hold of his hair. She pulled lightly and he moaned, pushing himself against her. He opened his mouth and she slid her tongue in. He backed her towards her bedroom door. Her hand moved to behind her and she urgently tried to get the door open. Eventually, the door opened and they stumbled in, Wade unzipping her dress. She shrugged out of it and kicked it out of the way. Wade moved his mouth to her neck, making his way up. He sucked on her ear lobe and she moaned loudly and moved her hands to unbutton his jeans. She pulled down his jeans and boxers in one swift motion and he led them to the bed. She pulled his shirt over his head before lying back, breathing heavily.

"Where's your bra?" he asked confused and she laughed.

"Didn't wear one," she answered.

"Well that's convenient," he said as he climbed on top of her, kissing her again. She pulled away and ran her hands up his back, moving her mouth to his neck. When she reached the spot she was talking about earlier, he swore and bucked his hips against her. He grabbed her face and kissed her again, biting down on her lip when she moved her hand to cup him. He trailed kisses down her chest and when he reached her belly button, he sat up and smiled at her. He placed one hand under her knee and lifted her leg so it was resting on his shoulder. He kissed her behind her knee and she whimpered.

"Wade," she moaned as he kissed her up her thigh. He hooked two fingers at the top of her underwear and pulled it down. He moved back up and kissed her again and she laughed into his mouth. He smiled as well and moved his hand to her chest.

"Condom?" he asked into her mouth.

"Bedside table," she panted. He leaned over and pulled the drawer open as she kissed his neck. He lost concentration when she kissed the spot again and moved back to kiss her. She reached over and fumbled around until she pulled out a condom. He pulled away and pushed her hair behind her ear before kissing her again with a smile. He moved his hand to hers and took the condom from her.

**Author's note: So that's about as T as it's gonna get so if you don't like reading sex stuff, it's not gonna be quite as intense in future chapters. Maybe there won't be any more sex, who knows if Zoe and Wade will even end up together dum dum dum. Remember to review and the next chapter will be up soon**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews, they have been great! Keep it up :) Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The next morning, Zoe woke up with her head resting on Wade's chest. His arm was around her and he was snoring lightly. She lifted his arm and slid out from him as carefully as she could. She grabbed her underwear and pulled out a tank top from her closet and ran out of the room. She was leaning against the kitchen counter with her eyes closed holding a cup of coffee when she heard him clear his throat. She opened her eyes and saw him standing there completely naked. She swallowed hard and turned to face him.

"Why'd you leave?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Hey Wade," she greeted, her voice high. "I needed coffee. Can you get dressed please?"

"Why?"

"Cause you know how I feel about you walking around naked."

"Yeah but that was before," he winked at her. She scowled at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He rolled his eyes knowing she was awkward about this kind of stuff.

"The sex," he clarified.

"Oh... well that never happened," she said shaking her head firmly.

"Face it, it did but we're best friends. We can move past this. We can pretend it never happened if that's what you want," he assured her. She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "But you were pretty amazin'. I say we do it again," he smirked at her. She scoffed and put her coffee cup down and went into the lounge, Wade following close behind.

"Why you runnin' away?"

"Because you say we can move past this and you make jokes 2 seconds later!"

"And?"

"And... I... Put some clothes on!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't concentrate with you... flailing that thing about!"

"Me? What about you?"

"I am dressed!"

"Barely!" Wade scoffed. "Your shirt is see through."

"You are infuriating!" she yelled. He stepped forward and kissed her hard, cupping her face. She pulled away and slapped him, standing back, breathing heavily. He held his cheek and stared at her. Before either of them knew it, they were kissing again and he pushed her against the wall. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He stepped away from the wall and walked towards the couch and laid her down. He climbed on top of her as she threw her tank top off.

A while later, Zoe rolled off of Wade and picked her clothes up from the floor. She ran into her bedroom as he watched her and when she came out, dressed for work, Wade was no longer on the couch. She walked to the front door and jumped when Wade stepped out in front of her.

"You scared me!" she said, looking down to see that he was still naked.

"Runnin' away again?" he asked with a smirk.

"I have to get to work. This never happened, ok?" He just nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "I'll see you later," she said as she got on her tip toes and kissed his cheek quickly before opening the front door.

XXX

Zoe was lying on the couch watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix when she heard the door unlock. She hadn't seen Wade since they had sex on the couch which was 5 days ago because she was working the early morning shifts at the hospital and he was recording in studio until late to get some up and coming singer's album done. By the time he got home, she was already asleep and she left before he woke up.

"Hey there!" Wade said as he threw his keys on the table at the entrance. "I almost forgot I had a roommate."

"Hi, how's the recording coming?"

"Officially done! This guy was a pain in my ass. Kept moaning about this one riff I played and eventually after 3 days, we went back to the one I originally played for him. Idiot." Wade sat on the couch and Zoe sat up, making space for him.

"You off for a while?"

"Yeah, only have a new session next week. You?"

"Only the next 2 days."

"You maybe wanna do something tomorrow?" Wade asked rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Don't we always do something on our days off?"

"Yeah, I jus' wasn' sure if you'd want to."

"Don't know why you'd think that," Zoe said with a smile. "I'm going to bed." She stood up and walked towards her room, passing Wade as she did. He reached out and touched her arm as she passed and she jumped.

"Sorry," he said and pulled his arm back.

"It's ok," she laughed nervously. They looked at each other. "Well, night." She turned and went to her room.

The next morning, Wade was already dressed and ready when Zoe woke up. She went into the kitchen to find him eating breakfast.

"Mornin'," he said with his mouth full.

"Nice," she said, shaking her head. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good actually. Now that I'm done with that idiot's album, I'm much less stressed. You?"

"Good I guess. You know my mind doesn't calm down for a couple of days after I work the morning shifts." Wade nodded in understanding.

"What we doing today?"

"I need to shop."

"Zoe," he whined.

"Please!" she begged.

"Fine," he conceded. "But you're buying lunch." Zoe ran to her room and got ready.

They walked through the mall with Zoe dragging him into every second shop. They went into Charlotte Russe and Zoe basically sprinted through the store grabbing things off the racks. She dragged Wade to the fitting room when she got what she wanted. He slumped down onto a chair with all the bags from the previous shops all around him. She came out wearing a black dress with white lining and Wade looked up.

"Thoughts?"

"Nice I guess," he shrugged.

"Not helping," she whined.

"Yeah, cute. Get it. Next," he said sounding bored. She glared at him and went back into the fitting room. She emerged a few minutes later wearing a brown and black bandage dress that was very short and showed a lot of cleavage.

"This?"

"Woah. Yes. Definitely," he said sitting up in his seat. His eyes rested on her boobs and he swallowed hard. He snapped out of it and shook his head. "It's fine. You should get it but whatever."

"You sure it's not too much cleavage?"

"No, it's not. Totally fine. Definitely get that." Zoe smiled and went to change. Half an hour later, Wade was carrying 5 more bags and they made their way to lunch. On the way, Zoe paused at a jewellery store window and looked in. She eyed a necklace with a simple solitaire diamond on a white gold chain. She put her hand on neck but then looked at the price and shook her head and grabbed Wade's elbow and dragged him to lunch.

That night, they got home and Wade fell onto Zoe's bed while she started unpacking all the bags.

"How did I let you buy so much crap?" he moaned. "My arms are killin' me from carryin' all those bags."

"You okayed all of these outfits so it's your fault! Besides, you're a baby for not being able to handle all the bags," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. He sat up and as she walked past the bed to get more bags, he grabbed her wrist and tugged her onto the bed. She laughed as she fell onto him.

"Say sorry!" he demanded. She shook her head stubbornly. "Say it!" She laughed at him and shook her head again. He climbed on top of her, hovering just above her using his arms to keep him up.

"Your arms not too tired to hold your weight like that?" she teased, laughing again.

"Bite your tongue!"

"I can think of other things I can do with my tongue," Zoe whispered, licking her lips slightly. Wade made a low sound in the back of his throat. Zoe snaked her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down into her. Their lips met and soon they were a mess of tangled limbs.

"So that happened... again..." Zoe said, breathlessly, lying on her back.

"Yeah," Wade responded, equally out of breath.

"Obviously it can't happen again."

"Yeah, definitely not." They turned to look at each other. Zoe sat up quickly and pulled on her shirt.

"At least now I know what good sex is meant to feel like," she laughed awkwardly. Wade chuckled along.

"Not gonna lie, that was pretty amazin'" Wade agreed.

"What if it does happen again?"

"You want it to?" Wade asked, sitting up. He pulled on his boxers and his t shirt.

"No, I just mean... the last 2 times just happened, no drinking or anything."

"Um... I guess if it does, it does. We don' need to make a big deal of this, right?"

"Right. Let's just try not to." Wade nodded and they smiled at each other. "So you gonna help me put the rest of these clothes away?"

"Nope!"

"But you're the reason I still need to unpack so many bags, you distracted me!"

"Still not gonna help you! You bought them, you put them away." Zoe pouted and stuck her bottom lip out.

"Fine," he sighed. She smiled triumphantly.

XXX

Zoe was sitting in the cafeteria with another resident, Jess, going over textbooks for an upcoming surgery.

"What a nerd!" a voice said. She looked up and smiled.

"This nerd may very well save your life one day," Zoe said back, glaring at him playfully.

"Hey Wade," Jess greeted.

"Hi Jess," Wade replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down. He placed a food tray down on the table. "What you got today?" he asked Zoe, looking at her tray.

"Chicken tenders and sweet potato. You?"

"Turkey burger and fries. Can I have your jello?"

"Only if you give me your fruit cup." Wade handed over his fruit cup in exchange for her jello and sat back in his chair.

"So how long is this surgery? You gonna be home for dinner?" Wade asked with the spoon from the jello in his mouth.

"I should be; it's only 2 hours if its routine and it starts in an hour."

"Ok, wanna get pizza?"

"Nah, we had that last week. Chinese?"

"I didn' like the last place we ordered from. Italian?"

"From that one place we went that other time? "

"Yeah, the one on 8th."

"Ok, I want the..." Wade held up his hand.

"I know what you want. Chicken parm, as always."

"Yeah but also get the..."

"Chicken Pompeii, I know. As usual, that'll be my order."

"But I don't want the..."

"Olives," he finished. "I know, Zo. I'll see you tonight." He stood up and kissed her forehead before leaving.

"When are you going to hit that?" Jess asked when he was out of ear shot. Zoe laughed and shook her head. "Well if you aren't going to, can I please?"

"Who was that?" Cathy, another resident, asked, sitting down.

"Wade," Jess said dreamily.

"Oh I want him. He's yummy," Cathy said.

"Too late, I already called dibs," Jess responded. Cathy frowned.

"Actually, neither of you have dibs. He is off limits," Zoe said, shaking her head. She picked up her and Wade's trays and went to put them away before heading off to prep for surgery.


	5. Chapter 4

Zoe showed the bouncer her ID and he stamped her hand before she walked into the bar. She looked around and saw Wade facing away from her on the stage, on his knees and leaning over his guitar case. She walked over and smacked his butt.

"Nice ass, Kinsella." He sat up and looked at her.

"Excuse me ma'am, do I need to call security, tell them you're harassing the band?"

"Oooh, I'm scared. But hey, I'm cute so they won't throw me out."

"That you are," Wade laughed and jumped off the stage. They chatted until the singer was ready to go on stage. Wade climbed back onto the stage and picked up his guitar. Zoe walked over to the bar and found a stool, watching Wade play the singer's songs with ease, easily picking up on the improvised songs and requests from the audience. When the set was finished, she went over as the crowd dispersed, leaving only a few girls who were fawning over the band.

"You did great!" she exclaimed when she managed to push her way through the groupies. Wade was packing away his guitar and pulled her onto the stage with him.

"Thanks. Gonna head home or hang around for a bit?" he asked as he rolled his chord.

"What are you doing?"

"Gonna stay."

"Well then there's your answer."

"Ok good, was hoping you would."

"You're weird sometimes!"

"Hey! Why?"

"When have I ever gone home without you when we're at the same place?"

"Uh..." Wade thought. "Never."

"Exactly." They were interrupted by the singer coming over.

"Thanks for playin' tonight, you're really talented," he said.

"Anytime," Wade replied, shaking his hand.

"Hey, I'm Chet," he said, turning to Zoe.

"Zoe," she said, shaking his hand.

"You guys dating?" They looked at each other and laughed.

"We're best friends," Wade said. Chet checked Zoe out after he said that. Wade placed his arm protectively around Zoe's shoulder and pulled her closer. She instinctively wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. Chet looked confused but looked back at Wade.

"You available to play on my debut album?"

"Depends on what you're offerin' and the dates you need me. I'm going home next week for a few days and then I'm booked pretty solid the next coupla weeks," Wade said shortly.

"I'll speak to my manager; see if I can work somethin' out."

"You do that. Have a nice night," Wade said, dismissing him. Chet frowned but walked away and over to the groupies.

"And that?" Zoe asked.

"Don' know, guess I'm just tired. Mind if we head home?"

"Sure, what can I carry?"

"Nothin' I got it, thanks." Zoe followed him backstage and they went to his car.

Zoe unlocked the door and Wade brought in his guitar and took it to his room. He came out wearing just his boxers and Zoe stared at his bare chest for a second before snapping out of it.

"That was fast!" she said.

"My shirt was itchy," he shrugged. Zoe went to her room and changed into her pajamas and made her way to the couch. Wade held open his arm and she snuggled into his chest. He put on Breaking Bad and they watched in silence. Zoe stifled a yawn half way through the episode and Wade paused it.

"You tired?" he asked, looking down at her. She nodded and he kissed the top of her head before standing up. He held out his hand and helped her up.

"Night Zo," he said and leaned down pecking her lightly on the lips.

"Good night," Zoe said, leaning up and kissing him again. They looked at each other for a split second and both leaned in slowly, eyes fluttering closed just before their lips met. Wade wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close and Zoe rested her hands on his chest. She moved one hand to behind his neck and pulled him down closer to her. Zoe brushed her tongue against his lips and Wade opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. The kiss was slow and intimate and Wade grazed his fingers up her sides, making her squirm. After a few minutes, Wade took a step forward guiding Zoe towards the rooms. Without breaking the kiss, they made their way into Wade's room, ending up on his bed. Wade pulled away and looked at Zoe. He smiled at her before kissing her again, taking his time.

Zoe was lying on Wade's chest tracing patterns on his chest. She ran her finger along a small scar on his ribcage.

"How'd you get this?" she asked quietly.

"Cut myself on the fence at the Rammer Jammer when I was 20," he said, running his hand up and down her arm.

"How many stitches?"

"Seven."

"Mmm," Zoe responded, starting to fall asleep.

"You sleepin' here or goin' to your room?" he asked.

"Here," she mumbled, eyes closing.

"Night Zo," he whispered. She didn't respond and he fell asleep a few minutes later.

The next morning, Wade got out of bed and put on his running pants. He climbed back onto the bed and stood up on his knees and started jumping, making Zoe wake up.

"Wade!" she whined, turning to look at him. He started laughing and she smacked his arm. "Not cool!"

"Get up, we're goin' runnin'," he said.

"Not happening. I'm going back to bed."

"Nope, up!" he demanded, poking her over and over.

"Urgh, why are you so perky today?" she moaned, covering her head with the pillow. He pulled the pillow away and threw it to the ground.

"Well, I had pretty mindblowin' sex last night so I'm feelin' good."

"Yeah well I had it too but you don't see me jumping up and down at," she turned to look at his phone on his bedside table, "5:15. Wade!" She smacked him again. "Do we need to talk about last night?"

"What's there to talk about? We had sex, amazin' sex yes, but it's no big deal. We don' have to discuss it every time it happens."

"Ok good, just making sure it's not weird, not that I think it is."

"No, it's just sex. If it happens, it happens."

"Agreed," Zoe said with a smile.

"Now get that sexy ass of yours out of bed so we can go running!"

"Damn, I thought you forgot about that!" she laughed. She reluctantly got out of bed pulling his sheet along with her and he pushed her out the room.

XXX

Zoe walked out of the locker room with Cathy and Jess after working over night. Wade was leaning against a pillar with his arms folded over his chest, holding a large cup of coffee. Zoe smiled at him before walking over.

"For me?" she asked when she reached him.

"Of course," he said leaning down, pointing at his cheek. Zoe giggled and kissed his cheek and took the coffee from him. She took a sip and sighed contently. "You ready to go?"

"Hell yeah, I'm ready! Planksgiving here we come!" she said, jumping up and down excitedly. Wade laughed and took her purse from her.

"Bye ladies, happy Thanksgiving," he winked at Jess and Cathy and both of them blushed and giggled. Zoe greeted them and turned to Wade. He flung his arm around her and they walked to the exit.

"You gonna be boring and sleep on the drive there?" Wade asked as he held the car door open for her.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted! Been awake for 30 hours."

"Boo!" he pouted, getting into the car.

"Sorry, let me sleep now and maybe I'll wake up to keep you company for the last few hours." Wade nodded and started the car.

Zoe woke up when someone shook her shoulder.

"Zo, we're in Bluebell, wake up," Wade whispered.

"Why didn't you wake me before? I would have spoken to you!" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Nah, it's ok. You needed the sleep, you looked like crap," he teased. She smacked his arm and got out of the car.

"There's my baby!" Jackie said running out of the house.

"Hi Momma," Wade said, hugging her.

"Zoe, you look great! I missed you!" she said, embracing her. Wade got the bags out of the trunk and carried them inside. Jackie hooked her arm with Zoe's and they walked inside.

"Now dear, Jesse arrives late tonight so you'll sleep in Wade's room. I hope you don't mind the couch honey," Jackie said to Wade.

"He can sleep with me, it's ok," Zoe said with a smile.

"Oh really? Are you sure? He's fine on the couch."

"It's fine, we don't mind. There's room for both of us," Wade said, coming over and pulling his mom in for another hug. "I missed you Momma. Where's dad?"

"He's helping set up in town square."

"Ok, I'm gonna go help out too. Wanna come?" he asked Zoe.

"Nope, I need to catch up on all the town gossip."

"Yes, there is a lot you've missed! I'll pour us some lemonade. See you later honey." Jackie walked to the kitchen.

"I'll see you in a bit." Wade leaned over and kissed Zoe's cheek before leaving the house.

The next morning, Zoe woke up and untangled herself from Wade. He stirred as she got out of bed and she turned and winked at him before leaving the room for the bathroom. She started the water and stripped down; stepping in once it was hot enough. Wade scrambled out of bed and ran down the hall. Jesse watched as Zoe and then Wade passed his room and shook his head with a smirk.

Wade slid his boxers down and walked to the shower. He pulled the curtain back and stepped in. Zoe was turned away from him washing her back. She stopped when she heard the curtain pull back.

"You missed a spot," he whispered, taking the sponge from her. He washed her back and kissed her neck slowly. Zoe moaned softly and turned to face him.

"Hi," he murmured.

"Morning," she breathed. He dropped the sponge and cupped her face, his lips meeting hers.

20 minutes later, Zoe opened the bathroom door and looked down the hallway, making sure no one was around. She grabbed Wade's hand and they ran to his bedroom, laughing as they shut the door. Once they were dressed, they made their way downstairs.

"Morning," Zoe greeted as they walked into the kitchen. Jackie was standing at the stove while Earl and Jesse were sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Morning you two," Jackie greeted. "Oh you've already showered," she said when she saw their wet hair.

"That's odd," Jesse said.

"What is?"

"I didn't hear the shower turn on twice this morning," he said, looking up at Wade, smirking. Zoe looked down at her feet and Wade's eyes widened.

"Now that you say that, neither did I," Jackie wondered. Wade scratched the back of his neck and Zoe was still looking at her feet. Earl watched the two of them and laughed under his breath.

"That is weird, maybe you jus' weren' payin' close enough attention or somethin'," Wade said, pulling out a chair for Zoe.

"Probably," Jackie shrugged. "Eggs?" she offered. Zoe and Wade both nodded, holding out their plates.

That afternoon, the Planksgiving festivities were in full swing. Zoe was over talking to Lavon and George, who had also come home for the holiday, and Wade was catching up with Wally and Tom. Earl sat down at a table where Jesse was eating and leaned back in his seat.

"So they're not very good at hidin' it," Earl said, taking a swig of his beer.

"No, not at all," Jesse laughed. "How long you think it's been going on?"

"They didn' seem like they were together at his birthday and that was 2 months ago so it can't be that long."

"They different from then?" Earl nodded.

"Very, I mean they were touchy beforehand but now it's almost constant, I don' know, they're just acting more like a couple which is sayin' somethin' cause they were bad beforehand."

"You think they dating or just having sex?" Earl cringed a bit.

"I am willin' to bet they are havin' sex and acting like its nothin' more. But they're datin', they're just in denial."

"Idiots," Jesse commented. Earl nodded in agreement. They watched Wade walk towards Zoe and put his arm around her, slipping his hand into her back pocket. Zoe rested her head against his chest and he leaned down, pressing his nose into her hair.

**Author's note: Just some back story of how they met and stuff and what he does now. Wade worked in Bluebell till he was 22 then went to college in Nashville and studied music. He is now a session musician so he plays for singers, on albums etc and is hired out by the record company. Zoe came to do medicine (age 22) in Nashville after doing pre med in NYC and they lived across each other in an apartment building, not in a dorm. Anyway, keep reviewing :) Thanks for the support so far, it's been amazing!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note: This is the second last chapter! keep reviewing! Everyone has been so fantastic, I love it! I love writing so if you have any ideas, let me know and maybe I can work with it :) Enjoy!**

"I bought groceries!" Wade called as her walked into the apartment. Zoe walked out of her bedroom.

"Thank goodness! I can't handle leftovers for another second. Your mom sent back way too much with us this time!"

"Yeah, 10 days worth is pretty excessive, even for her. Help me unload?" he asked. Zoe nodded and picked up some of the bags he had put on the floor. Once they were finished unloading the groceries, Wade got out the ingredients to make dinner.

"What you making?" Zoe asked, jumping up onto the kitchen counter.

"Gumbo," Wade said, digging in the fridge.

"Oooh, fancy. Your uncle Moe's?"

"Of course."

"What can I do?"

"Uh... you just sit your pretty little self right there and don' touch anythin'." She sighed loudly. "You want food poisonin'?"

"No," Zoe huffed.

"Exactly. Hand me that onion please."

"Thought I'm not allowed to touch anything," Zoe mocked.

"You want leftovers again?" Wade threatened playfully. Zoe shook her head and handed it to him.

"You found out if you workin' Christmas yet?" Wade asked once the gumbo was on the stove.

"Yeah, I am. You gonna go to Bluebell?"

"Um... I guess. I'd feel weird though."

"Why?"

"When was the last time we spent a Christmas apart?" he asked.

"Mmm," Zoe thought, "The first year we met. Well now it's gonna suck even more," she pouted.

"So I don' know," he shrugged.

"It'll be really boring for you though, I'll be at the hospital from 5am to 5pm."

"Yeah you're right. I'll decide next week. If I'm not here, does that mean I don' have to get you a gift?" Wade joked.

"Ha, you always have to get me a gift. And just for that comment, I now expect two!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Try this," he said blowing the food to cool it off and holding out the spoon for Zoe. She moaned when she tasted it.

"Very nice," she said. "I'm gonna set the table so long." She jumped off the counter and got out the place mats. Once dinner was finished, Zoe washed the dishes while Wade dried. They watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad before calling it a night.

"Sleep tight Wade," Zoe said. "Thanks for making dinner." She pressed her lips to his for a few seconds and went into her room, closing the door behind her.

"Night Zo," Wade said through the door and went into his own room.

XXX

"You ready for the last two episodes?" Zoe asked, walking into the lounge with drinks and popcorn.

"Let's do this!" Wade said lying down on the couch. Zoe put the food down on the coffee table and sat on the arm chair and Wade sat up slightly. "What are you doin'?" he asked.

"I'm sitting?" Zoe asked, confused.

"No, come lie with me."

"Ok, you sure?" He got up and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the couch. He lay down and faced the tv, pulling her down. She lay with her back resting against his chest and their legs intertwined. He wrapped his arms around her and propped his head up on another pillow so he could see over her head.

"There," he sighed contently. "Comfortable?"

"Very," she said as he started the second last episode of Breaking Bad.

.As the credits rolled, Zoe and Wade sat up.

"Wow, that was such a brilliant ending," she said after a while.

"Yeah. Can't believe we finished it. Took us long enough."

"My life feels kind of empty now," Zoe laughed.

"I know, we've been working on this for 8 months."

"So what do you wanna do now?" Zoe asked, looking at him.

"We could... have sex?" Wade suggested apprehensively, avoiding her gaze.

"Mmm..." she thought. "Sure." Wade's head snapped up and he saw that she was smiling shyly. He moved over on the couch and sat next to her. Wade opened his mouth to speak but decided against it and Zoe was playing with her pajama shorts awkwardly. He turned to look at her and opened his mouth to speak again. He changed his mind and instead wrapped his hand round her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her hard and soon, their pajamas were gone.

XXX

"I'll see you in a coupla days ok?" Wade said, holding Zoe in his arms. She nodded into his chest. "Merry Christmas for tomorrow," he mumbled into her hair.

"Merry Christmas," she said looking up. He brushed a loose piece of hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek.

"Zoe," a voice called and Zoe turned around to see Jess standing there. She let out a frustrated sigh and Wade let her go.

"Yeah?"

"There's an incoming emergency. All hands on deck." Zoe nodded and turned back to Wade.

"See you on Friday," she said and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

The next night, Zoe walked into the apartment at 6 after a busy day in the ER. She walked into the kitchen and gasped when she saw Wade standing there. The lights were dim and there were candles on the table which was set with Christmas decor.

"Wade! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I made dinner," he shrugged nonchalantly but was smirking.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed. He walked towards her and pulled her into a hug. When they pulled apart, he led her to the table and pulled out a chair. He poured her a glass of wine and went to dish up plates of food for them. He sat down to her left and they made small talk.

"I can't believe you're here," Zoe said.

"Why?"

"You drove all that way yesterday for what?"

"The tree lighting and we opened gifts this morning. Left right after breakfast."

"Why would you do that?"

"We have spent the past 7 Christmases together, I'm not gonna break that sorta tradition," he teased. She gave him a small smile.

"Didn't you want to spend Christmas with your family?"

"I am with my family Zoe," he said sincerely. He reached over the table and took her hand. She smiled broadly at him and squeezed his hand.

"So you want dessert or your gift first?" Wade asked after they cleared the table.

"Gift!" she said bouncing on her toes. He laughed as he went to his room and came back with a medium sized box. "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" she demanded, reaching her hands out. She ripped the paper off and opened the box and when she saw what he had given her, her face fell. She tried to recover before he saw her reaction.

"It's... great. Just what I wanted," she said as enthusiastically as possible. She held up the pink bedazzled stethoscope and gave him her best fake smile. Wade watched her with amusement and shook his head.

"You like it?" he asked, humour in his voice.

"Yeah... I love it. I'm going to look so... professional," she stammered.

"Good! Took me ages to find that. Now where's mine?" She got up and went into her room. She came out carrying a guitar case with a bow on it.

"Sorry I didn't wrap it," she said with a laugh. She looked over at the stethoscope and shook her head, feeling stupid for going through so much effort for him. He took the guitar case from her and laid it on the coffee table. He opened it and he drew a sharp breath in.

"Zoe," he breathed. "This is... thank you," he said, not able to find the words.

"Is it the right one? The one you've been speaking about for months?" she asked, worried. He nodded picking up the Gibson Hummingbird Modern Classic Acoustic guitar.

"It's perfect, thank you! I don' even know what to say." He swallowed hard and put the guitar down. He pulled out a small box from his back pocket and handed it to Zoe.

"What's this?" she asked confused.

"You didn' seriously think that was your real gift did you? You demanded two gifts a few weeks ago, so I listened."

"Oh thank God. I was so worried that was it. No offense." He laughed loudly.

"None taken." She unwrapped the box and opened it to find the necklace she had looked at when they went shopping a few months ago.

"This is too much," she gasped. He shook his head. "I didn't think you noticed when I saw it."

"Of course I did Zo." He took the box from her and removed the necklace. She turned around and flipped her hair over her shoulder. He fastened the clasp and moved her hair back over her shoulder. She turned around and faced him.

"No wonder you said you couldn't afford the guitar yet!" she said smacking his chest lightly. "Thank you!" she whispered, her hand reaching for the necklace. "Are you sure that's the right guitar? You speak about so many I might have got confused."

"It's the right one, thank you. It's the best gift I've ever got," he assured her.

"Ok good, let's get dessert then," she said turning to walk to the kitchen. He tugged on her hand, forcing her to turn back to him. He kissed her gently and tangled her hair in his fingers.

"How bout we get that dessert?" he asked when he pulled away. He walked to the kitchen, dragging her with him. After dessert, they cleaned up and put on A Christmas Story. Wade went to get them waters and when he came back, Zoe was lying down. She held out her arms for him and he lay down next to her. She rested her head on his chest and he wrapped one arm around her. She placed one hand on his chest and he placed his hand on hers, lacing their fingers together.

Wade woke up a while later and turned the tv off. He moved out from under Zoe as quietly as he could, trying not to wake her. He picked her up and she nuzzled into his chest. He carried her bridal style to her room, placing her in her bed, tucking her in. He removed his jeans and climbed in next to her, kissing her head lightly before falling asleep again.

XXX

Wade got home from the studio after a full day of recording at 9pm. He was exhausted and couldn't wait to fall asleep. He took off his shoes and left them by the door before walking towards the bedrooms. He opened the door to Zoe's room and smiled seeing her sitting up in bed reading a textbook.

"Hey," he said, taking off his shirt.

"Hi," she smiled, pushing her glasses up her nose. He slid out of his jeans and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he was done, he climbed into the bed and lay back with a sigh.

"How was your day?" she asked, closing her book and placing it on the bedside table.

"Long! I'm exhausted. All these people with these New Year's resolutions to try make it as big shot country stars trying to get these albums made by February. Played on 5 different albums today. Yours?"

"Fine, nothing exciting happened." He nodded and yawned. She took her glasses off and put them on the bedside table, turning off the light.

"You don' gotta do that on account of me. You can still read," he mumbled.

"I was done," she assured him. She lay on his chest and he hugged her tight, kissing the top of her head.

"Sleep tight," he whispered, falling asleep.

XXX

Wade jumped off stage after the singer's set and walked over to the bar to get a beer. He was talking to the bartender when a girl came up to him. She was tall with long red hair.

"Hey there sexy," she said, touching his arm.

"Hi," Wade smiled slightly at her and took a swig from his beer.

"You were great up there," she said, placing her hand on his that was resting on the bar. He moved it away and shoved it in to his pocket. "What ya say we get out of here, my hotel is just a block away."

"I'm sorry, I have a girlfri..." Wade stopped speaking and rubbed his mouth. The girl scoffed and walked away. Wade couldn't believe it, he and Zoe were a couple and they didn't even know it. His throat felt dry and he downed the remainder of his beer. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he pulled it out, seeing Zoe's name and picture flash on the screen. He pressed ignore and rubbed his temples. He didn't know how he was going to handle this; he didn't think he could go back to just being friends but what if Zoe freaked out when she realised and their friendship was ruined. Eight years gone. He walked back to the stage grabbing his guitar and went to his car. He got onto the freeway and didn't stop driving until he saw his parent's house on the outskirts of Bluebell.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's note: This is the last chapter. Thank you for all the reviews, faves and follows. Your feedback has been amazing. **

Wade arrived in Bluebell at 4am and parked his car in front of his parents' house. He opened the door quietly and snuck upstairs, falling into his bed. When he woke up, he jumped seeing Jackie standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" she said shortly.

"I came to visit. Can't I just come and see my mom?" Wade said, rubbing his eyes.

"Well of course you can. But it was a shock seeing you car outside this morning. Why didn't you call first?" she asked, sitting down on his bed.

"It was a spur of the moment thing I guess," he shrugged.

"Is Zoe in your brother's room?"

"No, why would she be there?"

"I figured she'd come with, you two are inseparable. More so than ever these days," Jackie said, eyeing him.

"She had to work."

"Oh ok, good. I was worried you broke up or something," she said, standing up.

"We're not... We're just..." Wade stammered.

"Whatever you say sweetie. I'm going to go make you some breakfast. Come down when you're ready." She kissed his cheek and left the room. Wade sighed and looked at his phone. He had 10 missed calls from Zoe and 5 voice messages. He called his voicemail and listened to them.

"Hey, just leaving the hospital, will be there soon. Order me a glass of wine. See you soon," her voice said.

"Where are you? Did you leave already? Call me when you get this."

"Are you ok? No one knows where you went. Josh said you just left without saying anything. Call me please."

"I've been waiting for an hour so I'm guessing you're not coming back. I'll see you at home."

"Well it's 1:10 so I take it you're not sleeping here. Did you go home with someone cause I thought... We never really talked about... Never mind um... just text me when you get this and um... let me know that you're safe. Yeah, ok. Bye."

He threw his phone down onto the bed and put his head in his hands.

Early that afternoon, he went to the Rammer Jammer and was sitting at the bar, nursing a beer when someone sat next to him. He turned to look and saw Lemon Breeland, one of his oldest friends sitting next to him. They had drifted apart when they went off to college and her and George broke up but they were always there for each other when they needed to be.

"Wade Kinsella," she greeted with a tight smile.

"Good to see you Lemon," he nodded.

"What are you doing in the Rammer Jammer in February? You never come here unless there's an important event or birthday and both your parents are born in June."

"I needed to get away," he admitted, taking a long drink.

"What's going on?"

"I think Zoe and I are together."

"You think?"

"We've been havin' sex on a fairly regular basis since October." Lemon scrunched up her nose.

"As dignified as that sounds, that doesn't make you a couple."

"It's not just sex. We've started sleepin' in the same bed, we kiss without it leading anywhere and we... cuddle on the couch," Wade said, blushing.

"Well it's about time. There has been a pool going for ages. I think there's only 3 people still in it cause we all thought you'd be together years ago" Wade glared at her. "I don't see why this is a bad thing?" Lemon asked.

"I realised last night, this girl was tryna get me to go home with her and," Lemon shuddered and Wade scowled at her before continuing. "I turned her down by saying I had a girlfriend. The words just left my mouth and I didn' even think twice about."

"I'm still not seeing a problem here."

"Zoe is gonna freak out and put a stop to it."

"I'm sure you'll find someone else to have sex with in no time."

"It's not about the sex. It's about everythin'. I can't jus' be her friend. Not when I know what it could be like to be her... not friend."

"Talk to her, maybe she feels the same way you do."

"I doubt it."

"The only 2 people in the world who ever thought you were just friends with zero feelings were you two. You've been in denial for years."

"I never felt anythin' for her before, I mean yeah, I thought she was hot and the funniest person I know and carin' and awesome but I never wanted to date her."

"You never wanted to date her because you basically WERE dating her you idiot."

"Hey!"

"You spend all your free time together, she spends holidays with your family, you cook dinner for each other..."

"She can't cook," he interrupted.

"Not the point. You eat lunch together almost every day, your friends are her friends, everyone you meet thinks you're together, you touch each other all the time. The only thing you weren't doing that real couples do was have sex. And now you do."

"That's all fine but that doesn' mean Zoe feels the same."

"If she doesn't then it's her loss because you are a catch, Wade Kinsella."

"Thanks Lemon," he said, giving her a quick hug.

"Talk to her. I bet you didn't even tell her where you were, she's probably worrying herself silly." Wade sunk down into his chair sheepishly and Lemon smacked his arm with her purse.

Wade said goodbye to his parents and got in his car, driving back to Nashville. He made it back in 5 and a half hours and walked into the apartment. Zoe looked up from the couch as he walked in. He noticed that her eyes were red from crying and his heart clenched. She got off the couch and glared at him before turning on her heels and storming off to her room. He ran after her but before he reached her door, she slammed it and he heard the lock click.

"Zoe, can we talk please?" he said through the door. He waited but she didn't open the door. He knocked for half an hour until she pulled the door open and slapped him through the face as hard as she could.

"Zoe, I..." She slapped him again.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I was worried sick! You don't call me, you don't message me. What is your problem?" she yelled.

"I'm sorry," he said flinching as she lifted her hand again. "Please don't slap me again," he added, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Where were you?" she yelled.

"I went to Bluebell," he mumbled.

"Why? Did you get any of my messages? Why didn't you let me know that you were at least safe?" She was yelling even louder.

"I needed to get away."

"I've been sitting on the couch all day thinking that you had gone off with some slut or were dead in ditch somewhere and all you can come up with is 'I needed to get away'?"

"I'm sorry. It was a last minute decision."

"That's not an excuse to not message me after I left you a bunch of messages." She smacked his arm over and over before pushing him into the hallway and slamming her door shut again.

"Are you ever goin' to come out so we can talk?" he asked after a while of sitting outside her door.

"Leave me alone Wade. I don't want to talk to you right now," Zoe shouted. Wade leaned his head back against the door.

"I called you my girlfriend," he said after 10 minutes. There was a few seconds of silence until Wade heard the door unlock. He looked up as she opened the door.

"What?" she said, looking down at him with wide eyes.

"Last night, I jus' said it and I freaked and that's why I left."

"Doesn't give you the right to not let me know you're ok. Even if the thought of me being your girlfriend is so horrible it causes you to flee the state."

"That's not why I freaked out."

"Alright, why did you then?"

"Can you sit down?" She sat down on the floor next to his door and leaned against the wall, facing him.

"I'm waiting," she said impatiently.

"I freaked out cause I was scared that when you came to the same conclusion, you'd stop whatever it is that we're doin'."

"What conclusion?"

"That we're a couple."

"How are we a couple?"

"Jus'... we do things couples do."

"Are you talking about the sex?"

"Yes and no. It's not only the sex. We sleep in the same bed, we cuddle, we kiss."

"Yeah," Zoe whispered. "You said you were scared I'd stop it?"

"I like what we've got goin' here."

"So you want to carry on doing what we're doing?"

"No, I don't." Wade said, looking at her.

"Oh... well then..." Zoe looked at the floor and blinked away a few tears.

"I want to make it official."

"Official?" she murmured, looking up slowly.

"I wanna take you out on a date, kiss you for all the world to see. When people assume we're dating, I want to be able to say that we are."

"I want that too," she said smiling.

"You sure?"

"More than anything. I've felt like we're a couple for a while to be honest."

"Me too," he smiled at her.

"So we're doing this?"

"Oh yeah, we're really doin' this." He crawled over to her and she grabbed his shirt, pulling his lips onto hers. He smiled into her mouth and she giggled.

XXX

Wade pushed Zoe against the door and kissed her neck. Her hands fumbled for his belt as his lips found hers again. He stuck one hand in her purse and dug around, pulling out the house keys. Without breaking the kiss, he tried to find the keyhole. Eventually, he got the door unlocked and lifted Zoe up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked into the apartment. He laid her down on the couch and climbed on top of her. She pushed him onto his back and sat on top of him. She kissed his neck, finding the spot that made him go crazy. He moaned her name and ran his hands up her back. She sat up and he whimpered.

"I'm gonna go slip into something more comfortable," she breathed.

"No Baby," he begged.

"I bought something just for Valentine's Day and it's gonna go to waste if I don't put it on now." He sat up and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"You are leavin' me all hot and bothered," he moaned.

"Just think of how much better it'll be with all this anticipation," she whispered in his ear. He moaned and moved to kiss her but she leaned away. "I promise, you are gonna wanna see me in what I bought. It's very sexy," she kissed him and pulled away before he could deepened the kiss. "And see through." He made a low growl and sighed.

"Ok go but you better hurry cause I'd take you right now if I had my way." She giggled and climbed off him.

Wade lay back on the couch and let out a long sigh. He heard a knock on the door and got up, walking to the door.

"Mom, Dad. Uh... what are you doin' here?"

"Your father surprised me with a trip to Chicago for Valentine's but he could only get out of work this afternoon so we'll celebrate tomorrow instead."

"Thought we'd stay over in Nashville to make the drive there tomorrow shorter," Earl added. Wade swallowed and nodded before looking back over his shoulder.

"That's great. Uh... I'll be right back, I jus' need to..."

"Don't you greet your momma with a kiss anymore?" Jackie interrupted, crossing her arms. Wade looked over his shoulder again and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I will but I really need to go and stop..."

"I hope you haven't cooled down yet Baby cause things are about to get a lot hotter," Zoe said seductively as she walked back into the room. Wade whipped his head around and saw Zoe walk into the room in a tight see through red lingerie ensemble with stilettos. He gulped and Jackie and Earl gasped. Zoe screamed when she saw them and ran out of the room.

"I take it you're officially together then," Earl said awkwardly. Wade closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"I think you should go," Wade mumbled. Jackie and Earl nodded.

"I'm sorry," Jackie said before they left.

"It's ok Momma. Just maybe... call first next time."

"Have a good night Son," Earl winked and Jackie smacked him. Wade went bright red and closed the door. He walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Zo?" he called, walking in and not seeing her.

"Are they gone?" she asked, sticking her head out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, all clear."

"That was the most embarrassing moment of my life," she whined, coming out of the bathroom wearing Wade's shirt and a pair of sweats. "I can never look at your parents ever again."

"It wasn' that bad," he said, trying to comfort her. She gave him a look and he pulled her into his arms. "Ok it was. So maybe we don't see them till my birthday, I'm sure they'll have forgotten by then."

"Maybe I'll be working that day," she mused.

"Oh shush," he laughed. "I liked it."

"Of course you did but I don't think your mom was too happy knowing her son was going to get seriously lucky tonight."

"She shouldn't have come by on Valentine's Day. Her fault," he shrugged.

"She wouldn't have if we told her about us last week when we got together."

"Maybe." He kissed her head. "So I'm really not gonna get to see you close up in that outfit?" he asked, pouting.

"Nope, not tonight. Sorry Baby, I'm not in the mood anymore."

"It's ok, a night cuddling on the couch is pretty much as perfect as it gets." She looked up at him and smiled and he kissed her gently.


End file.
